Storytime with Rachel F Hundred

A bittersweet ending for Elizabeth Weir

It is difficult to review Ghost in the Machine as a single episode given as it continues the arc of one of the series’ original regulars, Elizabeth Weir. Ghost in the Machine must be reviewed in both contexts in order for its success or failure as an episode to be truly established. The result; while the episode works as an intense story that plays with the concept of what really defines a person, for this viewer, as the potential last story in Elizabeth Weir’s arc it fails to provide a satisfying ending for the character.

The episode itself is accomplished. The opening with the puddle-jumper was fantastically well done; the realisation of remembered danger when the jumper’s pods will not retract, the clipping of the Stargate, McKay’s good news actually being bad news, the unexplained reactivation of the jumper. It’s a great sequence: well written (loved the flying monkey references), well acted, well lit and directed, nice effects with my only complaint being the overall scale of jumper to Stargate to planet looking odd.

The problems in the jumper being repeated with the city also work well; the bolts of energy, Woolsey getting stuck (lovely call back to the moment in Broken Ties where the doors don’t open for him)…it’s all a joy to watch as they try to work out what’s wrong, ending with the discovery of Elizabeth as an entity within the computer. Again, everything works from the writing to the lighting (wonderfully eerie darkness).

That whole section of realisation is very well done and the characterisation during this piece is outstanding; McKay’s quick acceptance that it’s Elizabeth contrasting sharply with Ronon’s distrust (nice echo of their original reactions to clone Beckett), Sheppard wanting it to be Elizabeth but unable to trust that it is, Woolsey’s distrust but hesitation and embarrassment to admit that he’s the new her…it’s very well acted.

The pacing lags with the exposition; although the flashbacks of previous episodes with the original Elizabeth help give life to the flatter ones where only her point of view is shown, it’s not enough to keep the pace from faltering. The pacing only finds rhythm again in the section where the other Replicators invade and Atlantis is in danger of being submerged (Robert Picado doing an amazing job as Woolsey steps up even as his uncertainty and worry is evident on his face) otherwise the pacing is slow as they all repeatedly discuss what they should do next.

The twist of Elizabeth creating a Replicator body is not unexpected. Michelle Morgan returns and does a fantastic job of displaying RepliWeir. She has the inflections of Weir; certain facial mannerisms, tilts of the head to provide an echo of Torri Higginson’s portrayal. It isn’t an exact copy though but it’s not meant to be as the story helps to provide a reason for why RepliWeir may not be exactly like Weir as it starts to explore whether this consciousness that says it is Weir is actually her.

There are two brilliant scenes around this: the Weir/Teyla interaction where the two old friends ‘catch up’ only for Teyla to not fully trust Weir with the truth regarding her son is beautifully played by Rachel Luttrell. That moment in Teyla’s eyes when she realises that she cannot trust that this is Weir is just poignant. It also neatly shows in a very subtle way Teyla as a tigress defending her cub; her son’s safety is paramount and her maternal need to protect takes precedence.

The second scene is between Sheppard and Weir as the full story of Weir’s involvement in bringing the Replicators to Atlantis is revealed and Sheppard’s heart-wrenching assertion that she is not Weir because Elizabeth would never have done such a thing. Joe Flanigan is just outstanding. The final denouement of RepliWeir sacrificing her own life and walking her brethren through the Stargate into the depths of space provides a bittersweet ending – does this prove that ultimately she was Weir? As the credits roll, the question is put out there and interestingly, not answered.

The pacing aside therefore, the episode pretty much works as an episode; intriguing with a philosophical question at its heart that leaves the viewer free to decide for themselves. It is also clear that this question needed to be asked of a character that had emotional resonance with the rest of the characters and the audience so Elizabeth Weir works well as a choice.

But, in regards to the audience’s attachment to the character, while the choice of Elizabeth Weir works for this story, it also provides the very reason why perhaps it should have been left well alone. With any major character, the audience wants their ending to be significant and larger than life. Ghost in the Machine does not deliver this; there is ambiguity in whether this is truly Weir or not so the ending is not satisfying. If this is the last Weir story told and the thinking is that it was Weir then I think it’s a poor ending for the character; reduced to a pale Repli version which does make decisions a human Weir would not have made, and ultimately only ending her life to correct her own mistake. It’s hardly the selfless sacrifice of remaining behind to let her team escape told in Lifeline. And because of that, Ghost in the Machine leaves a bitter-sweet note.

In conclusion

In the end, the episode is executed well but fails to deliver a great Elizabeth Weir story and for that reason I’m not convinced the production team should have allowed this story to make it to the screen. While the story is interesting on a philosophical level, I personally would have preferred to have left the Weir story at the end of BAMSR with the possibilities still open rather than to have it finished in this manner. Thankfully, in some ways, the very question this story poses – was this the real Elizabeth Weir – allows me to do just that.